Holder for saber saw blade

ABSTRACT

A holder of improved construction for mounting a saber saw blade on a drive means for reciprocation. The holder includes means defining a slot for receiving the blade, and means coupled with the support means for retaining the blade in the slot and for preventing movement of the blade relative to the support when the support and blade are reciprocating under the influence of the drive means. The holding means in several embodiments includes cam members which are received in notches in responsive blades. Other embodiments relate to the formation of blade-receiving slots by moving wall means into proximity with recesses in side faces of elongated members.

This is a division of application Ser. No. 230,966, filed Feb. 2, 1981which was a division of Ser. No. 62,606, filed Aug. 1, 1979 now U.S.Pat. No. 4,285,129.

This invention relates to improvements in the holding of blades in sabersaws and, more particularly, to am improved holder for saber saw bladesto prevent relative movement between the blade and the saber saw drivemeans.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Improvements have been steadily made in the mounting of saber sawblades. Historically, a blade of this type was mounted originally by aset screw securing the blade to the reciprocating part of the saber saw.The screw, however, can become loose due to vibration and the connectionbetween the blade and the reciprocating part is, therefore, not a firmone, thereby requiring that means other than set screws be provided.

Blade holders which have improved on the set screw concept have beendisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,750,283, 3,795,980, 3,823,473, 3,927,893and 4,020,555. An additional disclosure of this type of holder has beenmade in U.S. applications Ser. No. 902,198, filed May 2, 1978.Notwithstanding the blade holders on the foregoing references, it hasbeen found that additional improvements can be made in holders for sabersaw blades to further simplify the mounting of the blades and assurethat the blades are firmly attached so as not to become broken ordamaged during a sawing operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention satisfies the aforesaid need by providing a holderof improved construction as set forth in a number of embodiments. Allembodiments of the present invention provide a holder of simple andrugged construction, one which is easy to use and requires no specialskills on the part of the user, and one which has a long usefuloperating life to thereby avoid replacement yet the device can beapplied to an existing saber saw unit without substantial modificationthereto.

The primary object of this invention is to provide improvements inholders for saber saw blades, wherein the invention provides a holderwhich can be readily put to use, is easy to operate, and requires nospecial skill on the part of the user yet the holder can be used on newsaber saws as well as those already in existance.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent as the followingspecification progresses, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings for several embodiments of the invention.

IN THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of the saber saw bladeholder of the present invention;

FIG. 1a is a front elevational view of the holder of FIG. 1;

FIG. 1b is a top plan view of the holder of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing another embodiment of thesaber saw blade holder of this invention;

FIGS. 2a and 2b are front and top plan views, respectively, of theholder of FIG. 2;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of theinvention, showing a saber saw blade attached thereto;

FIG. 3a is a front elevational view of the holder of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3b is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3b--3b of FIG. 3a;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, partly broken away of anotherembodiment of the saber saw blade holder, showing a portion of a sabersaw blade attached thereto;

FIG. 4a is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4a--4a of FIG. 4 withthe saber saw blade removed;

FIG. 4b is a top plan view of the blade and holder of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section through another embodiment of the saber sawblade holder of the present invention, showing a blade is held in placeon the holder;

FIG. 5a is a front elevational view of the holder of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view, partly in section of anotherembodiment of the holder of this invention showing the holder in anclosed condition;

FIG. 6a is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing the holder in an opencondition;

FIG. 6b is a front elevational view of the embodiment of FIG. 6;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the holder ofthis invention, showing the way in which a blade is moved into positionon the holder;

FIG. 7a is a top plan view of the holder of FIG. 7;

FIG. 7b is a front elevational view of the holder of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of theinvention, showing the holder in a closed condition;

FIG. 8a is a top plan view of the holder of FIG. 8;

FIG. 8b is a front elevational view of the holder of FIG. 8;

FIG. 8c is a view similar to FIG. 8 but showing the holder in an opencondition; and

FIGS. 8d and 8e are two views of a saber saw blade to be used with theholder of FIG. 8.

The first embodiment of the saber saw blade holder of this invention isbroadly denoted by the numeral 10 and is illustrated in FIGS. 1, 1a and1b. Holder 10 is adapted to be mounted at the outer end of areciprocating member 12 coupled to a drive means (not shown) so thatholder 10 reciprocates to drive a saber saw blade back and forth topermit a cutting action by the blade.

Holder 10 includes a U-shaped support element 14 having a front section16 provided with a vertical slot 18 (FIGS. 1a and 1b) therein. The slotextends across the top part 18 of support element 14 to a location 20(FIG. 1). A cam member 22 projects upwardly through the top part of theslot and has a base 24 provided with a cam surface 26, base 24 having abottom 28 which is slidably supported on a flat, upper surface 30 of abody 32 carried by a pair of machine screws 34 on support 14, screws 34extending between front section 16 and rear section 36 of supportelement 14 as shown in FIG. 1. The body 32 also has a recess 38 forreceiving a roller 40 which normally engages cam edge 26 and is forceddownwardly toward the bottom of the recess. A coil spring 42 capturedbetween top part 18 and body 32 as shown in FIG. 1 biases cam member 22to the left in viewing FIG. 1, thereby biasing roller 40 downwardly.

Holder 10 is adapted to be used with a blade shown in dashed lines anddenoted by the numeral 44, the blade having a notch 46 for receivingroller 40 when the blade is inserted in slot 18 through front section16. The body 32 has an upper surface 47 and a lower surface 48 alignedwith slot 18, and the top and bottom edges of blade 44 engage surfaces47 and 48 when the blade is inserted in the holder. This assures thatthe blade will not pivot about roller 40 when the blade is inserted.

In use, with blade 44 removed, the blade can be inserted into the holderby manually shifting cam member 22 to the right when viewing FIG. 1.This will allow roller 40 to be raised in recess 38 when the blade isinserted in slot 18. The blade is forced into the slot until notch 46 isaligned with roller 40, then cam member 22 is released and spring 42forces the cam member to the left when viewing FIG. 1 so that camsurface 26 engages roller 40 and forces it into notch 46 of the blade,thereby releasably connecting the blade to the holder. A sawing actioncan then commence by operating the drive means coupled with the drivemember 12.

A second embodiment of the invention is broadly denoted by the numeral50 and is shown in FIGS. 2,2a and 2b. Holder 50 includes a main body 52and a front plate 54, plate 54 being connected by four screws 56 to mainbody 52 and spaced forwardly therefrom by spacers 58 on screws 56. Thispresents a gap 60 in which a rotatable member 62 is positioned, member62 having a circular outer periphery 64 which is adjacent to andretained by spacers 58 as shown in FIG. 2a. Member 62 has an eccentriccam surface 66 aligned with a slot 68 in plate 54 and a slot 70 in body52. Cam surface 66 extends across the slots 68 and 70 to retain a sabersaw blade 71 therein with the surface 66 entering a groove 72 in theblade when the blade is inserted in the slots.

Member 62 is biased in a clockwise sense when viewing FIG. 2a by a coilspring 74 positioned in gap 60 and in a recess 76 in body 52. Spring 74bears on a first lateral projection 78 at one side of member 62 to biasmember 62 in a clockwise direction when viewing FIG. 2a. A secondprojection 80 on member 62 extends laterally from the gap 60 as shown inFIGS. 2a and 2b so as to permit manual rotation of member 62 in acounterclockwise sense to compress spring 74 and move surface 66 out ofalignment with slots 68 and 70. This will allow blade 71 to be insertedinto or taken out of the slots, whereupon the member 62 is released andagain rotated in a clockwise sense by spring 74 until projection 78 isstopped by the adjacent spacer 58.

Holder 50 is coupled to a reciprocal drive member 82 which is driven bya drive means (not shown). The blade can be quickly and easily insertedinto the holder or taken out of the holder merely by manipulating member62.

A third embodiment of the holder of this invention is broadly denoted bythe numeral 100 and includes a reciprocal member 102 having an end slot104 for receiving a saber saw blade 106 having notches 108 and 110 in aside marginal edge 112. A block-like body 114 is secured in any suitablemanner on the end of member 102. Body 114 has a first transverse bore116 for shiftably receiving a cam member 118, a second transverse bore120 for receiving a plug 122 and a coil spring 124, and a thirdtransverse bore 126 for shiftably receiving a second cam member 128. Cammembers 118 and 128 are substantially identical to each other in thatthey have conical cam surfaces 130 which increase in diameter from theircenters outwardly. Cam surfaces 130 are generally above but can moveacross the top of the slot when the cam members move to the right whenviewing FIG. 3b.

A first plate 132 is connected to first ends of members 118 and 128, anda second plate 134 is connected to the opposite ends of the cam members118 and 128. The cam members are shiftable in respective bores 116 and126 and coil spring 124 is normally under compression and biases the cammembers to the right as a unit when viewing FIG. 3b.

In use, to insert blade 106 in the holder, manual finger pressure isexerted on plate 134, forcing cam members 118 and 128 to the left whenviewing FIG. 3b. This forces cam surfaces 130 away from slot 104 andblade 106 can be inserted in the slot until notches 108 and 110 arealigned with surfaces 130. Then, plate 134 is released, allowing cammembers 118 and 128 to move to the right when viewing FIG. 3b under thebias force of spring 124. This causes cam surfaces 130 to enter notches108 and 110, thereby releasably retaining the blade in place. Then, thedrive means coupled with member 102 can be actuated to causereciprocation of the blade. The blade is removed from the holder byreversing the above process.

Another embodiment of the holder of this invention is broadly denoted bythe numeral 150 and is shown in FIGS. 4,4a and 4b. Holder 150 is adaptedto be coupled to the drive means 152 which reciprocates under the actionof a drive motor (not shown) to, in turn, reciprocate the holder. Ablade 154 is adapted to be used with holder 150, the blade having atleast one notch 156 which receives a cam 158 on a cylindrical member 160rotatably mounted in openings 162 and 164 (FIG. 4a) of a pair of spacedplate elements 166 and 168 forming parts of the main body of holder 150.A central plate element 170, spaced inwardly of plate elements 166 and168, represents a relatively wide slot 172 for a wide blade and arelatively thin slot 174 for a thin blade. A second cam member 176 ismounted on a second roller 178 spanning the distance between androtatably mounted on plate elements 166 and 168. The second cam 176 isused to engage the upper edge 154a of blade 154 to stabilize the bladeand prevent it from pivoting about cam 158 when the blade is inserted inthe holder.

Cam 176 could be used to enter a second notch of the blade if such notchwere provided. Coil springs 180 bias cam members 158 and 176 in aclockwise direction when viewing FIG. 4. One end of each spring 180 isconnected to an ear 182 (FIG. 4b) near the outer periphery of thecorresponding roller 160 or 178. The opposite end of the spring isconnected around a pin 184 extending through plate elements 166, 168 and170.

In use, blade 154 is inserted into either slot 172 or 174 depending uponthe width of the blade. As the blade is inserted, it engages first cam176 to rotate it in a clockwise sense in viewing FIG. 4. Then it engagescam 158 to also rotate it in a counterclockwise direction until notch156 becomes aligned with the cam member 158. Then cam member 158 entersthe notch and secures the blade to the holder. Cam 176 stabilizes theblade and prevents it from moving about. To facilitate rotation of thecam members, thumb wheels 186 and 188 are coupled with the ends ofrollers 160 and 178.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the holder of this invention, broadlydenoted by the numeral 200. Holder 200 includes a reciprocating member202 coupled to a drive means (not shown) for reciprocating a blade 204back and forth. The blade has a notch 206 which receives a leaf springelement 208 secured by fasteners 210 to an inclined surface 212 near oneend of member 202. Member 202 has a slot 214 for receiving blade 204 andthe blade can be forced into the slot, biasing spring element 208upwardly when viewing FIG. 5 until notch 206 is aligned with springelement 208. Then, element 208 moves into the notch as shown in FIG. 5to releasably hold the blade in place. The blade cannot move up and downwhen viewing FIG. 5 because the blade engages other parts of member 202forming the slot. To remove the blade, spring elements 208 is movedupwardly by applying manual pressure to its outer tip 216, therebylifting the element out of notch 206 and allowing the blade to beremoved from slot 214.

Another embodiment of the invention is broadly denoted by the numeral250 and is shown in FIGS. 6,6a and 6b. Holder 250 includes areciprocating member 252 coupled to a drive means (not shown) forreciprocation. Member 252 is rectangular in cross-section as shown inFIG. 6b and shiftably mounts a rectangular sleeve 254 for movementbetween a first flange 256 at one end of member 252 and a stop flange258 spaced from flange 256 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 6a. A coil springsurrounds member 252 and is under compression, the coil spring extendingbetween flanges 256 and 258 and engaging a flange 260 on sleeve 254 tobias it to the left when viewing FIG. 6. Member 252 has a pair of siderecesses which cooperate with sleeve 254 to present a wide slot 262 anda narrow slot 264 for receiving wide and thin blades, respectively.

In use, sleeve 254 is first moved to the right as shown in FIG. 6aagainst the bias force of spring 259 to expose the side recesses inmember 252. Then, the thin or thick blade is put in the proper recessand sleeve 254 is released to close the recesses and to form the desiredslot. The blade is then held in place and can be reciprocated byactuating the drive motor coupled with member 252. To remove the blade,the above process is reversed.

Another embodiment of the holder of this invention is broadly denoted bythe numeral 300 and is shown in FIGS. 7, 7a and 7b. Holder 300 includesa reciprocal member 302 adapted to be coupled to a drive means (notshown) for reciprocation to drive a saber saw blade 304 of the typehaving a notch 306 in one edge 308 thereof. Member 302 has a slot 310extending from the front end thereof rearwardly and a cylindrical pin312 spans a distance between the sides 314 and 316 of member 302 whichdefine slot 310. Pin 312 defines a pivot means receivable in notch 306when the blade is first inserted into the slot.

A cam member 318 having a cam edge 320 is secured by a pair of pins 322to one side of a leaf spring element 324 secured to side 316 by the head326 of pin 312. A flange 328 overlies spring element 324 and head 326.

In use, blade 304 is first inserted in slot 310 in the angled positionshown in FIG. 7 until notch 306 is mounted for pivotally movement aboutpin 312. Then the blade is rotated in a clockwise sense when viewingFIG. 7, whereupon the bottom margin 309 of the blade engages cam edge320, forcing cam member 318 away from side 316 by virtue of theresilience of leaf spring 324 until the blade is horizontally disposedas shown in FIG. 7. Then the cam member 318 snaps back and overlies theblade as shown in FIG. 7a. The member 302 can then be reciprocated byactuating the drive motor coupled thereto. To remove the blade, member318 is manually moved out of overlying relationship to the blade andthen the blade is pivoted in a counterclockwise sense and then shiftedout of the slot.

Another embodiment of the holder of the present invention is broadlydenoted by the numeral 350 and is illustrated in FIGS. 8, 8a , 8b and8c. Holder 350 includes a reciprocating member 352 having a frontextension 354 provided with a reduced central section 356 which presentsa wide slot 358 and a narrow slot 360 when a pivotal, U-shaped element362 is in a closed condition over extension 354 as shown in FIGS. 8,8aand 8b. Element 362 is pivotally mounted by a pin 364 on the upper end366 of extension 354, and a spring 368 carried by pin 364 engages thetop 370 of element 362 and biases it in a counterclockwise sense whenviewing FIG. 8. The inner surface of top 370 engages the upper marginaledge 372 (FIG. 8c) of extension 354 so as to limit the downward movementof element 362. The element is manually lifted into the position shownin FIG. 8c to allow a blade to be inserted in either of the recesses.

The extension 354 can have several slots 376, 378 and 380 therein atspaced locations along the same. These slots are provided to receivelateral projections of a blade to be mounted, such as projections 382 ofa blade 384 so that the blade cannot shift longitudinally of its axiswhen the blade is in a respective slot of the holder and when element362 is in the closed condition of FIG. 8. The blade need only have onesuch lateral projection 382 but it could have more than one, if desired.Moreover, the projections could be at different locations on the bladeand the blade could be quickly and easily inserted in the holder.

In use, to insert a blade in the holder, element 362 is raised manuallyto expose the side recesses of extension 354. A blade is inserted intoone or the other of the recesses with the lateral projection 382 of theblade extending into a corresponding slot 376, 378 or 380. Then element362 is released and is moved back into the closed position by spring368. The blade is then captured in the slot which is formed by therecess and element 362. Then, the drive means coupled with member 352 isactuated to reciprocate the blade. To remove the blade, the aboveprocess is reversed.

The embodiments of the holder of the present invention as set forthabove provide a quick and easy way of mounting a saber saw blade for acutting action. The holders of the invention require no special skillson the part of the user, and the holders can be suitable for use withdifferent types of saber saw blades, even blades already made for othersaber saw attachment devices.

I claim:
 1. A holder for a saber saw blade comprising: a support havinga slot defining a recess for receiving one end of a saber saw blade; andmeans for releasably holding the saber saw blade in the slot, theholding means including a pair of cam members extending transversely ofthe slot, each cam member having a conical cam surface movable into andacross the slot, the blade having a pair of notches for receiving thecam surfaces when the blade is in the slot and when the cam members havebeen moved into respective operative positions relative to the support,there being spring structure for biasing the cam members into saidoperative positions.